(A 'The Boy from the Bunker' spin-off series).
Following the conclusion of the 10x AWARD WINNING series 'The Boy from the Bunker', we return to our heroes at Basilisk and join Izzy as she is faced with the pressure of following in her father, Kodia...
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Prologue -
With her imagination far too wild for mere dreams to contain, young Izzy wanted nothing less than to fall asleep and miss out on valuable hours of the day; hours when she could be out exploring the Red Hills, or hearing a story about a brave heroine from her mother, or learning new combat skills with her best friend in the entire world, Harlow Blackwood. But wrapped up in a worn, oversized sweater of her mother's, and with her father sitting on the edge of her bed - running a hand through her hair - she couldn't help but cave to the creeping slumber that was slowly pulling her in.
"Tomorrow, if Momma says it's okay, can we please go outside of camp with Harlow?"
Kodiak laughed and helped Izzy shift on the springy mattress so she was lying down. "Again? Weren't you just out of camp today with him and Bas?"
"...No," Izzy pulled her blanket up so it was covering up to her eyes which glimmered with a tired playfulness as she looked up at her father.
Kodiak smiled. "Where were you between the hours of twelve o'clock, and four o'clock today?"
"Umm, I was right here-" Izzy began, unable to get another word out before her father's gentle pokes at her sides caused her to squirm and erupt in uncontrollable laughter.
As she caught her breath, Kodiak turned on the lantern beside her bed which flickered, but clothed the room in a warm light. "I'll talk to her," he said, "but you need to get some sleep. Otherwise, you won't even have the energy to tackle Uncle Wynn at rations."
"I'll never be too tired for that," Izzy yawned. "Even if I hadn't slept in one hundred days, I still wouldn't be too tired."
Kodiak laughed as he tucked the blanket around Izzy and smoothed out the pillows underneath her head. "I believe you. But you still need to get some sleep."
He leaned down and placed a kiss to Izzy's temple, and the young girl sunk further into her bed, feeling every kind of safety the world had to offer. As he went to stand and bid her goodnight one final time, Izzy's raspy voice - now thick with sleep - croaked out a question that Kodiak felt fortunate to answer.
"Dad?" She asked.
"Yeah, Iz?"
"What's the most important thing in the world to be? Is it a Sovereign?"
Kodiak chuckled at her idea but was quick to shake his head. "No," he answered fondly, then, after a moment of contemplation, "the most important thing in the world to be is...loved."
"Oh," Izzy murmured in response, yawning again and this time, struggling to keep her eyes open.
"Why?" Kodiak asked. "What do you think?"
"I think the most important thing in the world to be is brave."
